Buffer and draw-gear.



' Wl'lne sacs R. E. NOBLE & L. E. MITCHELL. BUFFER AND DRAW GEAR. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 30,1912.

1,094,375. I I Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH E. NOBLE AND LOUIS E. MITCHELL. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO MORGAN-GARDNER ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUFFER AND DRAW-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914;.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, RALPH E. NOBLE and LoUIs E. MITCHELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buffers and Draw-Gears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to the clraw-gear or coupling devices of cars or locomotives and is especially applicable to mining locomotives, although notlimited to such use.

In accordance with our invention we prefer to construct the draw-gear so that it will also serve as a buffer.

The objects of this invention are; to provide a draw-gear or coupling device which will occupy comparatively small space; to provide such a gear or coupling device which may be attached to the draw beam or end of the locomotive frame without having to cut away the frame or permitting it to extend inwardly past the end of the frame; to provide a draw-gear orcoupling apparatus in combination with a buffer; to provide a draw-gear or coupling apparatus and buffer which is adapted to accommodate or co-act with the coupling and bufling devices of various forms of cars; and in general to provide such advantages and desirable features as will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating our invention, Figure l is a plan view of a locomotive shown diagrammatically with our improved buffer connected with a car; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the bufl'er and draw-gear with parts broken away to show the interior construction; Fig. 3 is a front view of the buffer and drawgear; and, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

As indicated in these drawings, 5 represents a locomotive having an end beam or channel 6 to which the draw-gear is attached, such construction being intended to iarly formed casting or member 12. This casting is provided at its outward ends with rearwardlyprojecting ears or lugs 13 for receiving the pivot pins 11, such lugs being arranged above and below the ends of the levers 9, in order to formsubsta'ntial hinges. The casting or buffer member 12 is preferably convex or curved on its face as clearly shown in Fig. 2 and preferably extends approximately across the width of the locomotive frame, although the proportions may be varied for different conditions. This buifer member is somewhat of a channel form, with a top plate 14 which preferably extends back over the top of the channel or beam 6, and with a lower plate 15. The inner ends of :the levers 9 each engage with two compression springs, one extending forwardly and the other rearwardly. In order to efl'ect a simple and substantial connection, the levers are provided with lugs or projections 16 which engage with springs 17 fitting in sockets or holes'18 in the plates 7 and resting against the face of the channel 6. The levers are also provided with lugs 01' projections 19 which engage with springs 20 having their opposite ends fitting in sockets or recesses 21 in the bufier member 12. i

The buffer member 12 is provided at the center with one or more slots or openings 22 for receiving the coupling links 23. These slots or openings are formed by vertical walls 24 which extend between the plates 14 and 15, and horizontal cross walls 25. The side walls 24 are made sufliciently diverging toward the front of the bufler so as to allow the necessary lateral swinging of the links 23 when the train is passing around curves. The openings 22 are made sufficiently deep so that the links may be pressedpr pushed inwardly when the locomotive 1s pushing a car or when they bump.

together. The. coupling pin 26 is inserted through holes 27 through the plates 14, 15 and 25. The vertical series of holes 22 permit the links 23 to be adjusted for different heights of coal cars or other cars, which are found to vary greatly in the arrangement of their coupling devices.

From the above description and the accompanying drawings it will be seen that when the locomotive 5 is pulling a car, such as the car 28 in Fig. l, the pull of the'link 23 on the buifer member 12 is transmitted to the car through the yielding arrangement of the levers 9 and springs 17. The forward pull on the pins 11 tends to swing the levers so that their inner ends press against the springs 17 the holes for the pins 10 and 11 being made sufliciently large so as to allow for the necessary relative longitudinal movement between the levers and buffer 12. The pull.is therefore divided between the two sides, and by properly proportioning the levers, a very resilient action is obtained without placing too great strain or pressure on the springs. The double hinging arrangement also permits the combined bufi'er and draw-gear member 12 to swing more or less when the train is passing around a curve. This will prevent undue bending or lateral strain on the draw-gear.

When the device is acting as a bufier the inward pressure on the casting or buifer member 12 tends to press the inner ends of the levers 9 against the springs 20, thereby providing a resilient or yielding buffer action which is divided bet-ween a plurality of springs, and the arrangement is such that the apparatus may be designed so as to give the springs such proportional advantage or amount of ressure as may be desired. In various orms of cars, and in particular in coal cars,

the buffers are arranged in a variety of ways without any special. standards. For instance, there may be a single buifer at the center of the car, or there may be two buffers arranged at various distances from the center dependent upon the particular make. Our improved bufier with the long convex face and substantial width is designed to accommodate a large number, if not all of such various forms of car buifers. The comparatively short longitudinal space required for our device, which for convenience has been designated as a combined bufi'er and draw-gear, is an exceedingly desirable feature, and this is also true of the arrangement which permits its being fitted to the end of the locomotive frame without having parts projecting inwardly.

As the various elements or parts maybe readily modified to meet difl'erent condi-. tions, we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact construction herein shown except as specified in the following claims, in which we claim:

.1. A combined butter and draw-head for cars having a'convex face approximately as long as the width of the car, for engagement with various types of buffers, a plurality of vertically arranged pivotal sup ports for said buffer and draw-head about which it is adapted to rock, and resilient means for holding said bufler and drawhead in normal position with respect to the pivotal supports.

2. The combination with a car or locomo tive, of a plurality of vertically arranged pivotal supports, a combined buffer and draw-head having a relatively long convex face sulficiently wide to accommodate buffers of different heights and positions on car fronts, and yielding connections between said buffer and said supports for holding the bufler against pulling and pushing strains, but permitting the buffer to rock with respect to said supports.

3. The combination with a car or locomotive, of a combined draw-head and buffer having a convex face substantially as long as the width of the cars with which it is to engage, a plurality of vertically arranged pivotal supports, and rocking and yielding connections between said draw-head and buffer and said supports.

1. A draw-gear comprising a plurality of oppositely disposed levers pivotally connected with a car or locomotive, a draw-head pivoted to said levers, and springs interposed between the levers and the locomotive for gesisting the pulling strain onthe draw hea 5. The combination with a car or locomotive of brackets arranged at the end thereof, horizontal levers disposed on opposite sides of the center and pivoted to said brackets, a draw-head having its ends pivoted to the outer ends of said levers, and springs interposed between the inner ends of the levers and the locomotive, and other springs interposed between the inner ends of said levers and the draw-head.

6. A. draw-gear comprising a pair of oppositely arranged plates having brackets thereonand having sockets for receiving springs, levers pivoted to said brackets, a draw-head having its ends pivoted to the outer ends of said levers and having sockets arranged opposite to the inner ends of said levers, springs between the inner ends of said levers and the plates, and between the inner ends of said levers and the draw-head plates for receiving springs, a pair of horiinner ends of said levers and the draw-head, and one or more central apertures for receiv- 10 zontally arranged levers pivoted in said ing coupling links or the like.

bearings, a convex draw-head having its RALPH E. NOBLE.

hearings on said plates and sockets in .said

ends pivoted to said levers, and having sock- LOUIS E. MITCHELL ets for receiving springs, springs interposed Witnesses: between the inner ends of said levers and the i ARTHUR G. ALEXANDER, plates, and springs interposed between the 1 WILLIAM WEINBERG. 

